MURFREESBORO – Three Blackman High students have spent nearly two months working to help veterans from World War II, as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars, fly to the nation’s capital to see memorials built in their honor.

Neyda Calixto, Joey Brown and Madison Childers are putting on a golf tournament to benefit the Screaming Eagles Honor Flight organization, based in Clarksville.

Several groups in the region are raising money for the effort, which allowed 30 WWII and Korean War veterans to take the trip in late September. Among those groups is the Children of the American Revolution, of which Childers is a member.

“We wanted to help a veterans group that wasn’t really well-known and since Screaming Eagles just started doing this, we thought it’d be a good way to help,” said Childers, a junior.

The three students are all members of the school’s DECA club, led by marketing teacher Renee Delbridge. DECA is designed for students who aspire to be business leaders.

Delbridge said the trio was so excited about raising money that they almost began doing so without recieving clearance from school administrators.

“The fliers started going up around the building and in the teachers’ mailboxes. I had to apologize to (Principal Leisa) Justus and let her know they were excited and passionate about what they were doing,” Delbridge said.

The tournament will be Nov. 15 at Old Fort Golf Course and as of Monday, only two of the 18 teams the students are planning for had signed up. Cost is $240 per four-person team or $60 per person.

In honors Marketing II class, students are required to complete some sort of project, but most do consumer-based research, the teacher said. Few are allowed to do fundraisers, especially one of this magnitude. This project requires Childers, Calixto and Brown to raise money, market the event and create a business plan.

The fundraising goal is $5,500, with the average flight costing around $600 per veteran.

Though the work hasn’t been formally divided, Brown said he has agreed to handle most of the writing assignments since he doesn’t have a car.

“We’re all able to call on businesses for sponsorships, but because I don’t have a car, I let them handle a lot of that and focus on the papers,” he said.

The students have also learned another important lesson when it comes to soliciting funds.

“We’ve tried to pick out businesses that have a relationship with the school or the places where our friends’ parents work. Most businesses have a hard time trusting three high school students who are calling cold and asking for money,” Brown said.

Golf is just one way the students plan to reach their goal. T-shirts are expected to be sold in the spring, and a fundraiser has already been scheduled at Genghis Grill on North Thompson Lane.

An educator for 25 years, Delbridge said she has been impresses with her pupils’ dedication to the task.

“I don’t allow just any student to do this kind of work because it puts my name and Blackman High’s name on the line. They’ve reached out to have the rest of the DECA chapter help with it in some way or another,” she said.

“The biggest thing I want them to get from this is truly learning the sacrifices veterans have made for this country, making sure they care and show empathy for the veterans,” Delbridge continued.

Brown called the task the most challenging project he’s taken on in high school.

“I thought that getting golfers would be easy, but it’s been the hardest part of the whole process,” he said.

But Childers is optimistic that the plan will be successful.

“I think it’ll pay off. We already have limited time that we work with, because we’re doing this right when we get out of school up until businesses close. We’ve got to set a goal for other DECA members to strive for,” she said.

Contact Mealand Ragland-Hudgins at 615-278-5189 or mragland@dnj.com. Follow her on Twitter @dnj_mrhudgins.

FYI

The Screaming Eagles Honor Flight Golf Tournament will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Old Fort Golf Course. Funds from the event will aid the Clarksville-based Screaming Eagle Honor Flight Organization in transporting terminally ill veterans from any war or conflict, as well as for guardian escorts, for the next Honor Flight scheduled for May 30, 2015.

Cost per four-person team is $240 or $60 per player. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams and players with the longest drive and landing closest to the pin. Lunch is included in the registration fee. Mulligans will be sold for $5, with a limit of two per player. Door prizes include a gift card to Maple Street Grill, free oil changes and a free round of golf.

Those interested in participating should register by Saturday. For more information, send an email to maddilee@comcast.net.

To learn more about the Screaming Eagle Honor Flight Organization, visit www.screamingeaglehf.org, call 931-920-6364 or search for the group on Facebook.